George R.R. Martin, the author behind the "Game of Thrones" phenomenon, has revealed that he has missed not one but two deadlines for his next novel, "The Winds of Winter."
Fans are therefore concerned that the forthcoming season six of the HBO series, which airs this year, will contain some serious spoilers.
"The Winds of Winter is not finished," Martin confirmed in a blog post Saturday.
"Nor is it likely to be finished tomorrow, or next week. Yes, there's a lot written. Hundreds of pages. Dozens of chapters. … But there's also a lot still left to write. I am months away still... and that's if the writing goes well."
"My editors and publishers are disappointed, HBO is disappointed, my agents and foreign publishers and translators are disappointed... but no one could possibly be more disappointed than me."
Consequently, concerns have grown as to whether the sixth season will spoil material from the upcoming book, which Martin suggests may or may not happen with a simple "yes and no".
"Inevitably, there will be certain plot twists and reveals in season six of Game of Thrones that have not yet happened in the books. For years my readers have been ahead of the viewers. This year, for some things, the reverse will be true."
Martin had previously set himself a deadline for Halloween, yet as the date loomed, the cutoff date was extended until the end of 2015 for the next book in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series.
"I've now blown the end of the year deadline. And that almost certainly means that no, The Winds Of Winter will not be published before the sixth season of Game Of Thrones premieres in April (mid April, we are now told, not early April, but those two weeks will not save me)."
"Enjoy the show. Enjoy the books. Meanwhile, I'll keep writing. Chapter at a time. Page at a time. Word at a time. That's all I know how to do."
The news of this delay received mixed comments on social media platforms, with some revealing their disappointment, however, many suggested Martin didn't have to "justify his life and writing pace to anyone but himself."
On Martin's LiveJournal blog post, many commented saying "take your time" and thanking him for the update. In response, the author revealed that the "outpouring of support" had been "astonishing."
"I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all the kind words and good wishes."
—By CNBC's Alexandra Gibbs, follow her @AlexGibbsy and @CNBCi